Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' Batman for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were released on August 25, 2009 in North America and August 28, 2009 in Europe, and the PC version was released on September 15 in North America and on September 18 in Europe. Arkham Asylum, written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, is based on the long-running comic book mythos, as opposed to most other Batman games which are adaptations of the character in other media besides the source material. The Joker, Batman's arch enemy, has instigated an elaborate plot from within Arkham Asylum where many of Batman's other villains have been incarcerated. Batman investigates and comes to learn that the Joker is trying to create an army of Bane-like creatures that threaten Gotham City, and is forced to put a stop to the Joker's plans. The game's main characters are voiced by the actors from the DC Animated Universe, namely Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprise their roles as Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, respectively. The game is played as a third-person perspective action-adventure game with a primary focus on Batman's combat abilities, his stealth and detective skills, and an arsenal of gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration. The game received extremely high praise from critics, earning a 92% average on Game Rankings, a game aggregator. The game also holds a Guinness World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever', with an average score of 91.67 from reviewers. Several awards were given to Arkham Asylum, including a Spike Video Game Award. A sequel, presently unnamed, was announced at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards. Plot The game begins with the Joker being escorted by Batman in the Batmobile to Arkham Asylum after being caught at Gotham City Hall. Batman is almost always outnumbered by enemies, needing to rely on his wits as much as his fists to defeat them. The situation at the hall took place at the exact same time as a 'mysterious fire' at Blackgate Prison, causing many of the prisoners to be sent to Arkham, among them a great number of Joker's own gang. When the two arrive at Arkham, Batman and several helmeted security guards strap the Joker to an up-right stretcher and wheel him down into the Intensive Treatment Center. Batman accompanies the security personnel and the Joker to the Holding Cells, where the Arkham staff refuse to let Batman go any further. As the Joker is being registered into the Cell Block by Commissioner Gordon, he breaks free from a guard and escapes from Batman with the help of Harley Quinn. Batman, who is locked out of the area, breaks into the holding cells through a glass window. Once Batman is inside the Holding Cells area, the Joker springs his first trap, unlocking the holding cells and allowing Blackgate convicts to flood out to attack Batman. After another brief confrontation with more convicts, the Joker deactivates a security gate, allowing Batman to follow in his direction, despite Commissioner Gordon's observation that it was most likely a trap. Batman moves up a ramp in the direction of the Joker's escape, leaving the Holding Cells and entering the Processing Corridor, finding the hallway littered with fallen security guards the Joker left in his wake. He found one guard that had survived named Eddie Burlow, who points him to the Lower Corridor. Batman reaches the Patient Pacification Chamber, where two security guards inform him that escaped inmate Victor Zsasz has taken another guard, Mike hostage and will kill him if he sees anyone get close to him. Batman subsequently subdues Zsasz after swooping down from a gargoyle. All of a sudden, Batman recieves a message from Harley Quinn, who has taken Quincy Sharp, the warden, hostage. Although Quinn is convinced Batman is trapped in Patient Pacification, Batman escapes back to the Processing Corridor, moving into the Decontamination area, where several Arkham personnel and inmates were trapped in a room filling with Joker Toxin. After clearing the room of toxins, Batman proceeds from the Decontamination area and follows several green arrows along the floor of the Transfer Loop, following the Joker to the Secure Treatment Transfer room, where he is attacked by a mutated Blackgate prisoner. After a short battle, the prisoner collapses. The Joker escapes on top of a mobile security cell and broadcasts a message to Batman from a nearby guard station telling him that Frank Boles, a member of the security team assigned with escorting Joker to his cell, is actually on his side and has captured Gordon. The Joker also warns that if Batman is caught following him, then Gordon will die. Using a scanner in his cowl, Batman follows an alcoholic vapor trail left by Boles' bourbon through the Transfer Loop. As he nears the elevator to the upper level with security guard Henry Smith, Harley Quinn appears and blows up the elevator cable, hoping to trap Batman on the lower level, but he manages to scale the surrounding support structures. After a brief encounter with several pipe-wielding convicts, Batman approaches the Cell Block Transfer section, where he encounters the first goons carrying firearms, who have overwhelmed the security guards and taken control. He circumvents these armed henchmen and takes them down by stealth, before moving on to the entrance hall, where several armed convicts are patrolling the Intensive Treatment Lobby, armed with riot guns. After defeating them, he proceeds to the far side of the room and up the ladder to the raised hallway, at the end of which the Dark Knight finds Frank Boles dead, strapped to a stretcher near the exit of Intensive Treatment, having been double-crossed by the Joker, thus ending the trail Batman followed. Simultaneously, the Riddler intercepts Batman's transmission system which he uses to contact Oracle, and begins tasking him with riddles which he can solve across the island. Security barriers prevent Batman from entering certain areas. These can be unlocked later in the game. After solving the first of the Riddler's puzzles, Batman is approached by William North, an Arkham guard, who unlocks the door to the Utility Corridor for him. Batman leaves Intensive Treatment, finding his way to Arkham East, where he discovers that the Batmobile is being attacked by Harley Quinn's henchmen. Fearing Gordon might be hurt, Batman instructs Oracle to deactivate the automatic defenses and decides to head for the northern part of the island, where it is parked. In the heavily-guarded Arkham East, Batman finds that many of the asylum's security guards had been lured to the area by a blind. Batman moves to a small connecting tunnel in between Arkham East and North. As Batman enters the smaller area, he discovers a wrecked ambulance and a security guard taking cover behind it. The guard informs Batman of the armed Blackgate Convicts on the other side, and Batman defeats the thugs, after which he rushes to where the Batmobile is parked and Harley Quinn's thugs are thrashing it. He quickly defeats the henchmen and follows a trail of pipe tobacco, left for him by Gordon, to the western section of the island, where Joker's men have also managed to take control. After defeating two of the Joker's men attempting to make renovations to the Visitor's Center to better suit the villain's taste, Batman finds a nervous guard attempting to hide in a watchtower, who informs him that the escaped convicts have seized the Medical Facility as well. Entering the Medical Facility, he encounters Harley and Gordon, but cannot reach them due to one of the security fields, thus forcing him to find a different point of entry through the Maintenance Access on the roof. He then uses the ventilation system to gain access to the Sanatorium. Batman then defeats five gun-wielding Blackgate prisoners who are holding Dr. Sarah Cassidy and three other doctors hostage. On his way through the facility, Batman rescues several more doctors and staff, including Dr. Penelope Young, in whom the Joker's henchmen showed a particular interest. In the Patient Observation area, Batman encounters security guard Aaron Cash and Doctor Kellerman trapped by a trio of Blackgate convicts in a control room filling with toxic gas. After filtering the gas out of the room via ventilation fans, Batman heads to the Surgery Area, where he rescues Doctor Chen from a large number of The Joker's thugs. He proceeds back to the Sanatorium, pausing only briefly to halt a violent inmate armed with knives. Back at the Sanatorium, Dr. Young insists on securing her research notes and is escorted back to the Arkham Mansion by Cash, while Batman follows Gordon's abductors down to the Morgue level in an elevator. Upon entering the lower level, Batman catches a glimpse of the Scarecrow and several unfortunate victims of his fear gas trapped in an operating room. Soon he is affected by the gas himself, first subtly then in increasingly surreal ways. He finds Gordon's dead body in an empty hallway and has a chilling encounter in the morgue with reanimated corpses of his parents. The Dark Knight finds himself in a nightmarish dreamscape set in the crumbling ruins of Arkham Asylum, controlled by a gigantic, monstrous Scarecrow, whose fiery gaze he must evade, until he can defeat him with a symbolic bat-signal. Shaking off the effects of the fear gas, Batman awakes inside the Morgue. Batman leaves the Morgue and finds Scarecrow's gas had him believe something that wasn't real, finding a fallen security guard where he had seemingly found Gordon's corpse earlier. Batman realizes that Gordon is still alive and follows a trail left for him by the Joker to the scene of a vicious little game set up for him. Harley is guarding Gordon, and Joker challenges Batman to make it undetected past four of his henchmen patrolling the room; if he is spotted Harley will execute Gordon instantly. Once Batman succeeds, the Joker directs his attention to a surprise left for him in a previously locked chamber in the middle of the room. Inside, he finds Bane, strung up in restraints and hooked up to a pump, draining his venom. He is the mysterious "Patient X" mentioned in the PR videos about Dr. Young's "Titan" project, which were playing on some monitors in the Upper Corridor of the Medical Facility. The Joker triggers the pump, replacing Bane's venom, which enables him to break free and attack Batman, hurling him through a wall and into the Medical Facility's Boiler Room. After a fierce battle, Batman flees the Boiler Room by means of his grappling gun as the ceiling, weakened by the fight collapses on Bane, burying him under a pile of rubble. Bane rises, however, from the debris to face Batman again, only to have the Dark Knight summon the Batmobile to the scene, ramming directly into Bane and knocking him into the murky waters of the Gotham Bay. Batman takes Commissioner Gordon to the docks in Arkham West, where an emergency launch is waiting to take the police commissioner back to the mainland. Gordon and a security guard get on the boat, leaving Batman standing alone on the docks. After heading through a locked-up cave outside, Batman glides down to a secret Arkham-based sector of the Batcave, which he installed beneath the island's surface years ago. Using the computer there, he learns that Young has been researching the venom drug fuelling Bane and has managed to develop Titan, a similar, yet more powerful drug based on Bane's venom, ostensibly intended to help inmates withstand the more... strenuous therapies. Realizing that Joker plans to use Titan for something sinister, Batman heads over to Arkham Mansion to reach Young's notes before the Joker gets there first. With the help of the Batclaw, a gadget similar to the grappling gun Batman had assembled in the Arkham Batcave, Batman reaches the Old Sewer through the Arkham caves. He discovers the Joker has seized the tunnels of the Old Sewer, and has posted several Blackgate convicts there to prevent him from proceeding. After defeating them, Batman enters the Main Sewer Junction, a massive, crumbling, chamber, a maze of decrepit columns, archways, and platforms. He emerges from the Main Sewer Junction in the Surface Access area, which provides an unused exit to Arkham North. Here, Batman finds that the Joker's men had gotten their hands on sniper rifles stolen from the guard armory. After being forced to deal with several of the armed convicts, Batman enters Arkham East, only to find that the Joker had taken over this part of the island as well. Armed prisoners now guard the watch towers after having shot the security guards. After being forced to contend with more gun-wielding thugs, Batman enters the Arkham Mansion through the air ventilation system. After defeating three of the Joker's men in the Entrance Hall, he fights his way through the Main Hall and enters the West Wing Corridor, where he rescues Arkham staff member Kevin Liew and an asylum guard. He notices 'Suicide Collars' worn by some of the Joker's henchmen, electronic devices that sound an alarm when it detects sudden heartbeat changes in the inmates. Batman then rescues Aaron Cash and another Arkham guard being held captive by a group of armed Blackgate convicts in the Records Room. Batman eventually makes his way through the Mansion to Dr. Young's office, only to find that she has already retrieved the notes. He tracks a trail of her finger prints to the mansion's library, where she hid the notes from the Joker. Briefly pausing to deal with several of the Joker's thugs and rescue Bill, a guard, and an orderly being held captive, he destroys the notes, but Joker has kidnapped Dr. Young herself and intends to torture the Titan formula out of her. Throughout the game, Batman must work to free hostages from the villainous inmates of Arkham Asylum. While venturing through the Mansion to rescue Dr. Young, Batman is drugged by Scarecrow again, this time being forced to relive his parents' death, and having to battle past another giant Scarecrow. After emerging from the gas unharmed once more, he finds Zsasz holding Young hostage in Warden Sharp's office with a knife. He uses his Batarang to defeat Zsasz and rescue Young. The shaken and harrowed Dr. Young reveals that Joker now has the Venom and her Titan formula. She talks of a laboratory inside the botanical gardens, but when she goes over to Sharp's safe to retrieve the security codes, she finds that the Joker had got there first and has rigged the safe with explosives. The blast kills Young, and Harley taunts a barely-conscious Batman with Warden Sharp, whom she is still holding hostage. After waking up again, Batman tracks Harley to the Penitentiary. Batman chases Harley through the building. He finds Sharp in the control room, frees him and takes Sharp's security sequencer, enabling him to disable the electric barriers blocking his way. At the same time, Harley releases Poison Ivy, whose cell Batman passed earlier after she pleaded for his help, from captivity. To make matters worse, The Joker frees the rest of the crazed Arkham inmates. Batman follows Harley to a large room with an electrified floor, which she uses to try to kill him. When she fails, the Joker refuses to get her out of there and crosses her off his 'party list' for some kind of celebration he is holding later that night. Out of anger, Harley attacks Batman, but he successfully apprehends her and locks her in a cell. Through a slip of the tongue from Harley, Batman learns that the Joker has a secret Titan production facility inside the Botanical Gardens. Now in possession of the knowledge that Joker plans to build an army of Titan-fuelled mutants (effectively an enormous group of Banes), Batman heads over to the Gardens and reaches the facility. After battling two of the Joker's henchmen drugged with a now complete Titan serum, he destroys the facility and begins to search for an antidote to stop the rest of the Titans. Since the the Titan venom is produced by genetically engineered plants (hence the location of the secret lab), Batman believes Poison Ivy should help him to find a cure. At first, Ivy refuses to help Batman (declaring that she'd rather watch him squirm), until he warns her that every plant on Arkham will suffer unless she cooperates. She informs him that the only way to create an antidote is to use some rare spores which can only be found in the sewers - directly inside the lair of Killer Croc. As Batman leaves the Botanical Gardens, Joker announces that he has supplied the angered Ivy with some of the Titan serum. This causes her plants to grow to gigantic proportions, slowly covering the island and entangling its buildings while large, bulbous flowers appear everywhere that exude deadly spores. Batman can easily sneak up on thugs and perform silent takedowns even in a room full of armed enemies. After battling past Ivy's plants while heading back into Arkham Mansion, Batman learns from Aaron Cash that the only way to access Croc's lair is through a pathway in Intensive Treatment. After dealing with several of the Joker's "security guards" (Inmate imposters wearing stolen guard jackets), Batman backtracks through the facility, but is drugged by the Scarecrow once more on his way through. Scarecrow injects an immense amount of toxins into him (enough to drive ten men insane), but when Batman still emerges triumphant, Scarecrow is shocked and flees into Croc's lair. Scarecrow dangles his toxins over the river in the pipeline, threatening to drop them in if Batman comes closer, which would affect the entire city of Gotham. As Scarecrow stands on the edge, Croc jumps out of the water and grabs him. Croc is about to eat Scarecrow, but Batman hits his shock collar with a Batarang, forcing him to recoil and throw Scarecrow into the water. Batman ventures into the sewers and, while frequently being attacked by Croc, gathers all of the required spores. As he prepares to exit the lair, Croc suddenly charges at him through a tunnel, but Batman destroys a weak part of the floor using his Explosive Gel, just as Croc runs over it, sending him plummeting down into the river below. Inside the Batcave, he uses the spores to create an antidote, and sets out to stop Ivy from taking over Arkham. While ascending back to the surface, Batman learns that Joker intends to contaminate Gotham's water supply with runoff from his Titan production. He foils this plan by disabling three pumping stations guarded by Joker's henchmen. He travels back to the Botanical Gardens, where Ivy states that while she originally thought that Titan was hurting her plants, it has actually made them much stronger. With that, she summons a colossal Titan plant through the floor, and bonds with it to fight Batman. She also sends out waves of security guards infected by her mind-controlling plant spores out to fight Batman, including Eddie Burlow and William North, now under her control. However, he manages to defeat her and the zombified guards, and Ivy and the plants sink back into the undergrowth. Upon emerging from the Gardens, Batman learns that the Joker's party is about to begin. He heads over to the Visitor Centre, which has been recreated to match the Joker's style. The Blackgate prisoners announce Batman as the Joker's special guest and allow him entry. Inside the Centre, Batman is weakened when the Joker detonates a bomb on the other side of a thin glass window. He awakens to find Joker sitting on a throne of mannequins with Scarface sitting on his knee. The Joker sends some of his men along with two Titan-fuelled policemen to attack Batman, and when they fail, he reveals Gordon tied up with some rope. Joker whips out a gun filled with Titan pellets and takes a shot at Gordon, but Batman dives in the way and begins to mutate. When Batman resists the change, Joker declares that he is ruining his party, and shoots himself through the lower jaw with the Titan gun. The game flashes forwards to about 10 minutes later. News choppers are flying all around Arkham, cameras fixed on the roof of the Centre. A horribly mutated Joker climbs up from inside the building, gripping Batman in his hands. Unlike all other Titan victims, Joker has kept his mind and is still taunting Batman to give in to the change. He tells him that he does not have long left. In retaliation, Batman injects himself with the antidote in order to prevent the Titan from taking control of him. Joker jumps up onto a high point and sends his men to attack Batman, but while he poses and shows off to the choppers, Batman yanks him down with the Batclaw and he crashes through the floorboards into an electrical circuit. He still climbs out, barely harmed at all, but as he brags about how he is victorious, Batman sprays Explosive Gel over his heavily armoured knuckles. Stating that he will never let Joker win, he punches him in the face, detonating the Gel just as he does so, launching Joker backwards and knocking him unconscious. Outside the Visitor's Center, Gordon tells Batman that the effects of Titan are starting to wear off the Joker and his men, and that they are being taken back to their cells. The Medical Facility is being used as a makeshift hospital for the injured Arkham staff. At that moment, Batman is informed that Two-Face is raiding Gotham, and flies away into the night in the Batwing. After the credits roll, a crate marked 'Titan' is seen floating through the sea outside Arkham. A randomized appearance of either Bane, Scarecrow or Killer Croc grabs the crate, as the three villains are still at large. Gameplay The game has a more closed gameplay atmosphere, similar to Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Paul Dini's story is a style reminiscent of the depth and twists of Bioshock using many gadgets such as the batarang, batclaw, explosive gel, and line launcher. Gameplay places just as much focus on Batman's role as a detective as his combat prowess. Most of the game is played through an over-the-shoulder, third person perspective, similar to that of Resident Evil 4. It has been hinted that certain villains might be playable at some point in the game although this may be as an unlockable after completing the game. Arkham was chosen as a location because of its limitations including the fact that it's located on an island. Arkham will be a persistent location that the player will be able to freely roam, including an area that serves as Batman's secret on-site Batcave. edit Combat Conflicts between Batman and opponents take place in two different styles, depending on the situation: either straight combat or the stealthy "Predator" style. The unique combat system does not feature specific moves tied to specific buttons of the controller, but focuses instead on keeping up a perfect rhythm of blocks and attacks, which Batman executes in whichever style is appropriate for the situation. As a string of blocks and attacks is kept up, a "Combo Counter" keeps track of the length of the current string, increasing both the strength of Batman's attacks and the XP earned. The only controls necessary for combat are "Attack", "Block", "Evade", and "Cape Stun". As the game progresses, additional special moves - such as an unblockable throw maneuver - can be bought with XP, which can be executed once the Combo Counter reaches a certain level (initially 8, can later be reduced to 5). Two of Batman's gadgets can also be used in combat, namely the batarang and the batclaw (once it has been collected). These have special buttons to deploy them quickly in combat, rather than the usual way. Certain opponents wield knives or stun batons and cannot be attacked directly or blocked. Their attacks must be evaded instead, and they can be attacked only when stunned (knife wielders) or from behind (shock baton wielders). Enemies armed with lead pipes can block attacks, but their own weapons can be taken from and used against them. Batman can take weapons from pipe-wielding thugs and use it against them. Opponents enhanced with the Titan drug require special tactics. Their attacks must be evaded, and they can only be safely attacked when stunned. When they execute their charging maneuver, a quick batarang will cause them to stampede blindly into walls, stunning them, leaving them open to attack. When a series of attacks has brought a Titan temporarily down to his knees, Batman can jump on his back and steer the stumbling, flailing Titan into hitting other opponents in the area, until he is shaken off. Conflicts with groups of gun-wielding goons require the stealthy "Predator" approach, where Batman silently takes out goons one by one without being detected. It is advisable to play these encounters in "Detective Mode", which allows Batman to see the position and status of all opponents, even when they are hidden by walls. Special moves such as "Silent Takedown", "Ledge Pull", "Glide Kick", "Corner Cover" and "Inverted Takedown" (must be bought with XP first) are best employed in this style of combat. Conflicts of this type usually take place in high-ceilinged rooms featuring many interior gargoyles that allow Batman to strike from above and fly back up into the shadows when spotted. Certain gadgets and their buyable upgrades are well suited to the Predator style. The "Sonic Batarang" can interact with the alarm collars of goons to either attract or disable them. The explosive gel can be used to set traps that are detonated either by remote control or automatically. edit Gadgets Batman will collect a series of gadgets at specific points during the plot. * The standard Batarang is available from the start. * When Batman defeats the Goons attacking the Batmobile, he collects a dispenser for Explosive Gel, that can be detonated by remote control. It can be used to break down weak walls (revealed in Detective Mode) or to set traps for opponents. Batman's explosive gel can detonate targets with one blast, blowing apart structurally weak walls and knocking down enemies with debris takedowns. * When he enters the Batcave for the first time, he collects the Batclaw, which can grab on to objects (especially ventilation grilles) and allows them to be pulled. * After rescuing warden Sharp in the penitentiary Batman gets a Cryptographic Sequencer that allows him to disable the electric security fields. * After the battle with the two titan-enhanced goons in the botanical garden, the Batwing delivers a Line Launcher, which allows Batman to travel between two pieces of ground on the same level across chasms or other similar obstacles. * When Batman enters the Batcave for the second time, he upgrades the UltraBatclaw to fire three lines simultaneously, which allows weak walls that were previously out of reach to be grabbed and pulled down. Upgrades to some of the gadgets can be bought with XP: * Auto-detonating Explosive Gel. Explodes when an enemy gets near. * Selective detonation of Explosive Gel. Zoom in on a specific Gel patch to detonate only that specific one. * Double Batarang * Triple Batarang * Sonic Batarang. Attracts a nearby enemy. * SonicShock Batarang. Attracts and disables a nearby enemy. Can only be used once per encounter. * Remote Control Batarang. Can be steered through complex flights, taking out several enemies. * Range enhancement for the Cryptographic Sequencer. Allows security boxes to be disabled at a greater distance - e.g. ones that are protected behind the security fields they control. * Power enhancement for the Cryptographic Sequencer. Increases the ease with which the Sequencer disables security boxes. Detective Mode is essential to defeat of most gun-wielding enemies, which appear in red. Unarmed enemies, nuetralized characters, and Arkham staff appear in blue. Detective Mode, when focused on a character, diagrams any firearms on their person, moniters their vital signs, and displays their current condition. edit Detective The developers have come up with a CSI style for forensic puzzles because Batman is the "World's Greatest Detective". Detective Mode is the centerpiece in Batman's arsenal. His cowl can highlight certain points of interest and much like the Metroid Prime games will scan items into your database. One of Batman's new tools is Explosive Gel that you apply to weak walls highlighted by detective vision so they crash down making ways for you to escape and sneak in or even knock out the person on the other side. edit Riddles Each unique set of locations in the game (e.g. one building or one of the island sections) has a number of associated Riddler Challenges, which can be solved to earn XP and unlock boni, such as character profiles, character trophies, and challenge mini-games. There are several distinct types of challenges: * Riddler trophies. These green question-mark statues are scattered all over, sometimes out in the open, sometimes hidden in difficult-to-access areas. * Riddles. More or less cryptic clues describing specific locations or objects. To solve the riddle, the described object must be visible on-screen and must be "scanned". * Joker Teeth. The Joker has scattered a lot of "chattering teeth" toys, often in groups of two or three. To fulfill the challenge, a certain number of teeth (5, 10, 20) must be destroyed. * Perspective riddles. Two halves of a question mark have been painted on the scenery (only visible in Detective Mode). When viewed from the right perspective, they line up to form a whole question mark, which can be scanned to solve the riddle. Patient Interview tapes may sometimes require an observant mind to pick out from background scenery, but provide interesting psychological insight about the various Arkham inmates. * Interview tapes. Audio tape reels containing patient interviews and doctor's notes can be found in many locations, giving insight into some of the major characters in the game. * Spirit of Arkham messages. All over the asylum there are scribbled messages on decorative stones, in the same spiraling style that Amadeus Arkham once used. Scan these messages to decode them. * Riddler maps. Each location set contains one map which reveals the approximate placement of all the other challenge items, by placing floating question marks on the in-game map. Some of the items are initially inaccessible and can only be accessed after Batman has collected a specific gadget. Since this requires revisiting locations when the actual plot of the game does not require it, the game allows the player to continue exploring the island, even after the reaching the end, in order to achieve 100% completion. As Batman continues to solve his riddles and collect the items, Riddler initially taunts him with the "slowness" of his progress, but becomes increasingly agitated, as the amount of solved riddles rises. He accuses Batman of cheating, possibly by looking up the riddles on the internet. Once enough riddles have been solved, Batman manages to deduce Riddler's current location and transmits it to the Gotham Police. Another group of items Batman may find or unlock are patient reports and bios for the chracters. Characters * Bruce Wayne / Batman - (voiced by Kevin Conroy). Batman is the main protagonist of the game. He takes the Joker back to Arkham Asylum only to have him break out and cause havoc. Batman puts it upon himself to stop the Joker's evil schemes. * The Joker - (voiced by Mark Hamill). The Joker is the main villain in the game. He is captured by Batman and taken to Arkham Asylum where he escapes and takes over the asylum. * Dr. Harleen Francis Quinzel / Harley Quinn - (voiced by Arleen Sorkin). Harley Quinn appears in the game already loose in the asylum. She helps Joker break free and cause mayhem on the island. * Commissioner James Gordon - (voiced by Tom Kane). Commissioner Gordon is present at Arkham when the Joker breaks free. He is taken captive by Harley Quinn. * Barbara Gordon / Oracle - (voiced by Kimberly Brooks). Oracle is Batman's radio contact throughout the game. * Waylon Jones / Killer Croc - (voiced by Steve Blum). Killer Croc is present in the Asylum when the Joker takes over. He attacks Batman when he enters Croc's lair. * Edward Nigma (Formerly Eddie Nashton) / The Riddler - (voiced by Wally Wingert). The Riddler contacts Batman via radio and gives him the task of completing 240 Riddler challenges across Arkham Island. * Bane - (voiced by Fred Tatasciore). Bane apppears locked up in the depths of Arkham, being experimented on by Dr. Penelope Young. * Victor Zsasz - (voiced by Danny Jacobs). Zsasz is one of the escaped inmates when the Joker takes over Arkham. He takes several staff members hostage with Batman having to rescue them. * Pamela Lillian Isley / Poison Ivy - (voiced by Tasia Valenza). Ivy appears in the game locked up in the penitentiary. She convinces Harley to set her free and slowly takes over the island with her plants. * Dr. Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow - (voiced by Dino Andrade). Scarecrow runs free throughout the Island after the Joker's breakout and attacks Batman several times with his fear gas inducing elaborate hallucinations. * Aaron Cash - (voiced by Duane R. Shepard Sr.). Cash is one of the security guards in Arkham. He survives the Joker's attack and assists Batman a few times. * Warden Quincy Sharp - (voiced by Tom Kane). Sharp has been the warden of Arkham for the last three years. He is captured by Harley Quinn early on in the game, forcing Batman to rescue him. * Dr. Penelope Young- (voiced by Cree Summer). Young is one of the chief psychiatrists at Arkham. She is also working on Arkahm's newly developed Titan project. She is killed by a trap The Joker set in the warden office. * Frank Boles - (voiced by Danny Jacobs). Boles is a chief member of Arkham's security staff. He aids the Joker in his takeover of Arkham Asylum. * Jack Ryder - (voiced by James Horan). Jack Ryder is heard several times on radio news broadcast, detailing the events of the Joker's takeover of Arkham to the public. * The Spirit of Arkham - (voiced by Tom Kane). The spirit of Amadeus Arkham, retelling his tale through a series of hidden messages in Arkham. Minor Characters * Gretchen Westler - A doctor at Arkham Asylum. * Eddie Burlow - A security guard at Arkham Asylum. * Zach Franklin - A security guard at Arkham Asylum. * Henry Smith - A security guard at Arkham Asylum. * Thomas Armbruster - A security guard at Arkham Asylum. Identified as "Trainee 4607". * Sarah Cassidy - A doctor at Arkham Asylum. * Louie Green - A security guard at Arkham Asylum. * Clayface - * Two-Face - * Thomas Wayne - * Martha Wayne - * Joe Chill - * Amadeus Arkham - * Scarface - * Bob Johnson - * Adrian Chen - A doctor at Arkham Asylum. * Luke Curtis - A janitor at Arkham Asylum. * Jordan Fraser - A janitor at Arkham Asylum. * Robert Stirling - An orderly at Arkham Asylum. * Ian Kennedy - * Mike - An orderly at Arkham Asylum. * Carl Todd - A janitor at Arkham Asylum. * William North - A security guard at Arkham Asylum. * Stephen Kellerman - A doctor at Arkham Asylum. * Kevin Liew - A doctor at Arkham Asylum. * Mike - A security guard at Arkham. * Bill - A security guard at Arkham. * Razor - One of Joker's henchmen. * Steve - A security guard at Arkham. * Jackson - A security guard at Arkham. Shot and killed while evacuating to Arkham East. * Jerry - A security guard at Arkham. Character Biographies The following characters appear through a series of unlockable character bios only and are not seen or heard throughout the game. * Alfred Pennyworth * Catwoman * The Penguin * Mr. Freeze * The Mad Hatter * The Great White Shark * Black Mask * Hush * Firefly * Prometheus * Maxie Zeus * Hugo Strange * Killer Moth * The Ratcatcher * Tweedledum * Tweedledee * Humpty Dumpty * The Ventriloquist * Calender Man Development History The story is written by Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Detective Comics) while Wildstorm has crafted the appearances of the characters. Game Informer teases that Arkham Asylum will be the ultimate Batman experience and the voice cast will reflect that with Mark Hamill voicing The Joker in the game. It is rumored that Kevin Conroy, also from Batman: The Animated Series, will voice the Caped Crusader.needed The game is based on the 70-year-old Batman series as a whole rather than being tied to any particular adaptation. It runs on Epic Games Unreal Engine 3. Reception Arkham Asylum has received acclaim from most critics, and holds a 92% at both GameRankings.34 and Metacritic.36 GameStats currently holds the game at 9.1/10.35 The game also holds a Guinness World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever'. It broke the record in this category by achieving the highest average score of 91.67 from reviews around the world.47 The previous record holder, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 had an average of 90.0. The first review of the game was published by GamesMaster. The magazine awarded Arkham Asylum a 96%.50 Electric Playground declared that the game "simultaneously breaks the Batman videogame curse, and gets on track to become one of the best games of the year."51 Game Informer praised the game, stating "Batman: Arkham Asylum is this year's "BioShock," not just from the connection established with the world, but from its ability to innovate where new ideas are needed, and moreover, deliver an adventure unlike any other." It was rated 9.5/10.39 OPM gave Arkham Asylum a 9/10, citing "Arkham Asylum is comfortably the best comic book game that PlayStation's ever had, and is up there with the system's best actioners, full stop." OPM summarized the game as "a class act".52 Xbox World 360 scored Arkham Asylum 95%, stating "a massively impressive licensed game."53 IGN's Greg Miller gave the game a 9.3 out of 10, praising the voice acting, the story and overall gameplay and called it "the greatest Comic Book game of all time."43 Eurogamer also praised the game, stating "this isn't just the best grown-up Batman game, it's the best superhero game, bar none", and scoring Arkham Asylum with a 9/10.38 1UP.com's Thierry Nguyen gave the game an A-, stating that developer Rocksteady "manages to combine combat, stealth, storytelling, and cartoon voices into the best digital Batman simulator we've seen to date."37 GameTrailers praised the game's "little details that truly bring Arkham Asylum to life", and that consumers should "know that this is a game worth playing", giving Arkham Asylum a 9.0/10.54 Two million copies of the game were sold in the first three weeks after release on consoles.54 To combat copyright infringement in the Windows version of the game, developers implemented a piracy measure that disables Batman's glide ability and causes other bugs, thus preventing a player using a pirated game from progressing beyond a certain point.55 Although not the first game to implement such countermeasures, Arkham Asylum received media coverage, as it was seen as a novel method of copy protection. Awards Arkham Asylum won several awards along with its commercial and critical success, including multiple Game Of The Year awards. GameSpot awarded Arkham Best Atmosphere and Best Use of a Creative License in their Best Games of 2009 Awards. British game critic Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of The Escapist named Arkham Asylum Game of the Year, and also awarded it the Golden Dog Biscuit Award for Genuinely Best Game of 2009 in his weekly episodic video blog, Zero Punctuation.57 Game Informer named Arkham Asylum "Game of the Month" in its September 2009 issue. Giant Bomb awarded Arkham Asylum their Multiplatform Game of the Year 2009.58 Games Radar awarded Arkham Asylum the Game of the Year award, narrowly defeating Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Additionally, developer Rocksteady Studios won Studio of the Year at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards. The game won the "Outstanding Character Performance" (for the Joker), "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design", and "Outstanding Achievement in Adapted Story" awards for the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, and was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation", "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition", "Adventure Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction", and "Overall Game of the Year".5960 Batman: Arkham Asylum was also nominated for several Game Developers Choice Awards including "Best Game Design", "Best Writing", and "Game of the Year" Category:Games